Tom's Visit

This last week we got to have Brian's brother Tom in town for a visit. We had so much fun hanging out with him and being tourists in the city. I think that we've been here long enough that some of the novelty of the place has worn off. As we were showing him around the city, he would get so excited about the height of the buildings, the number of people around us and other everyday sights and sounds of the city that we had grown accustomed to. It was great to get to see it all again for the first time through his eyes.

After a tour of Brian's workplace and a introduction to his co-workers, we walked to nearby Madison Square Park to see the Flatiron Building. I really love this building. It was here that we introduced Tom to his first NY hot dog, which he really liked.

Next we headed down to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. We walked around the park saw the Statue of Liberty from across the bay. We went on a self guided George Washington tour seeing all of the sites from the Revolutionary war period. I had already done this tour with Kris and Layne, but Brian hadn't had a chance to yet. So it was fun to show them around. The narrow streets in this area really offset the height of the buildings. 

We wound through the narrow streets until we got to Fraunces Tavern, which is Manhattan's oldest surviving building and was one of the meeting places of the Sons of Liberty prior to the Revolutionary war. We went inside and had a look around. Just after Washington's inauguration, the offices of the government were located in this building. I loved the picture of Washington hanging inside the tavern. Today the building houses a functioning tavern/restaurant on the ground floor with a museum on the upper floors.

We went by Federal Hall where we got to see the few protesters left from the Occupy Wall Street movement still camped out on a portion of the steps. We were still able to go inside though. I snapped a picture of Brian by the display of a copy of Washington's Inaugural Address.

We walked back down to Battery Park and took the Staten Island Ferry so that Tom could get a better view of Lady Liberty and the city's skyline. I took a couple pictures on the way back to Manhattan. My camera is not that great, so the view is far away. The tall building in the center of the picture is one of the new World Trade Centers they are building. If you look really closely you can see a tiny Statue of Liberty towards the left.

We started off day number two of his trip in Times Square. Brian and I avoid the place, but we thought Tom should get the chance to see it once. We just stopped in one spot and let him look around. This place really is overwhelming with all the lights, posters, people and stores. I got a picture of Tom and Brian, I think they were a little overstimulated here.

We took Tom to some of our favorite food places in the city. Prosperity Dumpling near Chinatown was definitely on the list. They sell five dumplings for $1. It's the only place we've found in the city where you can order a meal, hand the guy a five and get change back! Plus it's super delicious. We also went to John's Pizzeria in Greenwich Village. Their pizza has super thin crust and it is to die for. We walked around Greenwich Village while we were there, which is right by New York University. It is a pleasant area, that feels like a college town. They have a whole street there with nothing but chess shops on it. We also stopped in Washington Square Park to see the arch and do some more people watching.

There was lots of subway riding and sampling of street food. I even tried a chicken gyro, my first street meat besides a hot dog since being here. I opened it up and there was a nice long, black hair right on top. I was so hungry though, and with a little encouragement from Brian and Tom, I just picked the hair off and ate the food anyways. I know, I know, gross! But the gyro was really, really good.

Saturday was the nicest day weather wise during his visit. We saw the Temple and Lincoln Center where we took our one and only group shot.

We wandered around Central Park for a few hours. There was wisteria blooming everywhere! I was so in love with it. There was even some climbing up the tower of Belvedere Castle.

From the castle we had a great view over Turtle pond. We could see the turtles swimming below us in the water, one of which was huge. It's shell was easily the size of a large hubcap, and it dwarfed the other turtles. It was crazy.

Brian and I in front of the beautiful wisteria. It smelled so good!

I loved all the blooming flowers, mostly tulips, in the park. It's a nice change from the concrete of the city.

Before leaving the park, we stopped by Bethesda Fountain...

...and The Mall. I love the giant Oaks.

There may have been a stop for ice cream during the day.

We walked around Rockefeller Center and saw St. Patrick's Cathedral along with the Statue of Atlas across the street.

We visited the huge NY Public Library building on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue. We found the stuffed animals that were the inspiration for the Winnie the Pooh Stories.

The last day of his visit ended up being rainy and cold. We went to church and then just had a relaxing afternoon together in the apartment. We had dinner with Kyle and Corinne that night, and came home and stayed up late chatting. We really had a blast having Tom visit and were sad to see him go.